John Cena and Idris Elba are reunited inHeads of State. The pair of action actors star opposite one another asrivaling world leaders, with Cena suited up as President Will Derringer while Elba stands tall as Prime Minister Sam Clarke. The two are verbal political rivals who turn into physical allies when a terrorist organization threatens both of their countries' security.
This isn’t the first time Cena and Elba have joined forces as unlikely tag team partners. The pair starred as Peacemaker and Bloodsport, respectively, inThe Suicide Squad(2021), an ensemble piece thatforced the two larger-than-life comic charactersto get on the same page to take down a common enemy.
ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley spoke with Cena and Elba to discuss how their initial introduction to each otheronThe Suicide Squadlaid the foundationfor theirHeads of Statedynamicas well as how Cena added depth to what could’ve been a very surface-level comedic character.
“The truth is that I really liked the guy. I liked his discipline…”
Veteran producer Peter Safran knew he caught lightning in a bottle when he first paired Cena and Elba together onThe Suicide Squad.
“Confession for me was that when I got to work as Bloodsport, and I was going to be sort of that natural dynamic against Peacemaker, and they said he was going to be played by John Cena, I was like, ‘Wait, what?’ I mean I was fanboying a little bit here,” Elba said. “This guy’s amazing and, genuinely, as a performer and a wrestler, he’s incredible to watch. I thought, ‘Wow, I’ve got to up my game to have that dynamic come alive.’ I have to go toe-to-toe with John Cena as Bloodsport, that was really the foundation.”
The story goes that whileThe Suicide Squadwas filmining in Panama, Safran was catching up with fellow producer John Rickard and waxed poetic about Cena and Elba’s chemistry. Rickard responded by immediately seeking out a concept for the pair to tackle, and landed on Harrison Query’s screenplay forHeads of State.
“Peter and John and I all just saw that dynamic and just leaned into it.”
“The second point is that the truth is that I really liked the guy,“Elba continued.“I liked his discipline. I liked that he was prepared to bounce with me. He’s very disciplined. He knows every single word, but if I f–k up, excuse my language, he will just keep going and do it again and again and that stuff is gold. It’s really gold.”
Will Derringer Taps Into Cena’s Multi-Dimensional Acting Skillset
“Even starting with those four small things just gives you a lot of direction to go…”
That gold translates to character depth as well. On the surface, Cena’s President Will Derringer reads like a goofball. He’s an actor-turned-politician that fields more questions about his action filmography than world affairs. While Derringer is full of that celebrity charm, Cena also brings a genuine patriotism to him. Derringer never feels like he’s utilizing the Oval Office for popularity but rather bring legitimate strength to his country.
“It is a very good question and I kind of don’t want to bore you with how the watch is made, but essentially, long story short, I think if you create something that has only one dimension, you don’t have a lot of direction to go,“Cena said.“There is a sense of slapstick and there is a sense of ignorance, but he’s also a guy who cares and is empathetic. Those are probably his strongest qualities.”
Cena emphasized that those four qualities were the building blocks for Derringer’s arc, which in turn is the formula forHeads of Stateas a whole.
“Even starting with those four small things just gives you a lot of direction to go,“Cena continued.“I think it’s trying to avoid creating something that is just one-dimensional.”
